


Chasing You Around

by Strawberrywaltz



Series: Doubt [2]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Chase being Chase, Confusing feels, Evil Plans, Heckyl being stubborn, Kendall being a rockstar, M/M, Magic, My typical shit, Poor Heckyl (sort of), Second Part of Doubt, Secrets, Twisted Romance, poor Chase, things end badly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-05-16 19:23:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19324513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberrywaltz/pseuds/Strawberrywaltz
Summary: Second part of Doubt.“Heckyl, come on, man, don’t do this.” Chase pleaded, but it was too late. Heckyl’s mind was already made up.“Don’t worry.” Heckyl said and pressed the crystal against Chase’s forehead. “I promise you won’t remember a thing.”





	1. I'm not gonna go chasing you around.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back!
> 
> Also, I feel like promoting the band that I'm getting the title from the last two stories....not a sponsor or in anyway involved with the band. Hell, I don't even know the guys, but I love their music. 
> 
> Bad Veins - Doubt  
> Bad Veins - Chasing 
> 
> Listen if you want to see where my head has been, lol

Rescuing the woman with glasses proved simple enough. Heckyl felt confident as he turned away, knowing what would follow. She called after him and pulled out the prize Heckyl had been sent to retrieve. The purple energem. It was far more beautiful than Heckyl had expected. 

Heckyl had been a bit startled when he caught a glimpse of Chase from across the street. It had distracted him long enough to anger him. The human meant nothing to him, nothing at all, however Chase could singlehandedly destroy Heckyl’s plans. 

Thankfully the human didn’t appear to notice him, or at least he didn’t recognize him in the light. Either way Heckyl wasn’t certain his luck would last – he needed to be sure that his identity would remain hidden. 

Once upon a time they had sat together, shoulder to shoulder in the darkness. Bonding over their sad lives. 

Heckyl had to destroy the human. Nothing good would come from Heckyl letting the man live. 

Of course all his plans came to an end when Sledge blasted him back into his solitary cell. 

Revenge was the only thing fueling their minds. Snide craved it and the strength of his desire bleed over, tainting Heckyl’s mind with blood lust. Together they made a frightening monster.

__

When Sledge failed, Heckyl knew he was being given his best chance. So did Snide. Unfortunately they both had very different ways of going about world domination. While Heckyl was mostly patient and diabolical, Snide was cruel and lacked a certain ‘finesse.’ 

After gaining the ‘loyalty’ of the prisoners, Heckyl put the next part of his plan into motion. Gaining his enemies’ trust by working at the café. The interview had been easy enough. The woman, Kendall, was desperate for help. Desperate enough that she left valuable information right in front of Heckyl. He grinned a little as he found out where the pink and – Chase. He frowned as he looked at the human’s picture. He looked different in the light. 

The smile was – dangerous. 

Chase’s knowledge of his two identities could ruin everything before Heckyl even got started. That was why it was fortunate that Heckyl was able to locate Chase before he became a problem. 

The rest of the day went by slowly. Heckyl managed to get a message back to his ship and sent Iceage after the pink and black rangers. 

At the end of the day he smiled at the frozen sight of his prizes. They looked fragile. He stopped in front of Chase and took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. 

“Master?” Iceage asked. 

“Release this one.” Heckyl commanded. His minion did what he was told and the ice melted away from Chase’s body. The human dropped to his knees and shivered from the residual cold. Heckyl relished in the sight of Chase bowing at his feet. “Hello again.” He greeted lowly. 

Chase flinched back as he looked up at Heckyl. He frowned for a moment before realization flooded his expression. “You’re – Heckyl. I, you’re free!” He stood and smiled brightly, clearly not realizing the danger he was in. “It’s so good to see you again, man – wait, what’s going on?” 

For the first time Chase took a look around and realized he was surrounded by his enemy. “Shelby!” Chase gasped and moved to stand in front of his friend’s frozen coffin. “What happened to her?” He asked, confused eyes turning to Heckyl. 

For a fleeting moment Heckyl considered an alternative plan, but he knew in his dark heart that Chase would only get in the way. He knew what he had to do. 

“Restrain him.” Heckyl commanded and two Vivix jumped to comply. They held Chase at the arms in bruising grips. 

“Heckyl, what are you doing?” Chase asked, fear starting to shine through his words. “We’re friends, aren’t we? What’s happening? Let’s talk it out.” 

“We’ve done enough talking.” Heckyl said, though the malice in his voice was slipping. The ache in his chest grew as he produced the crystal from his pocket. It was better than the alternative – destroying Chase before things got started. 

This was better. Somehow. 

More diabolical, anyway. 

“Heckyl, come on, man, don’t do this.” Chase pleaded, but it was too late. Heckyl’s mind was already made up. 

“Don’t worry.” Heckyl said and pressed the crystal against Chase’s forehead. “I promise you won’t remember a thing.” 

Chase parted his lips, but any words he might have said were cut off by Heckyl’s lips crushing against his. 

The kiss sealed the spell and Chase moaned in pain as his memories of Heckyl and Snide were ripped ruthlessly from his head and pulled into the crystal. When Heckyl pulled back Chase’s eyes had already closed and he went limp in the Vivix’s hold. 

“Wait until he starts to wake up and then freeze him again.” Heckyl told his minions, his hand wrapped protectively around the crystal. He knew he should crush it and insure that Chase never regained the memories, but he found himself hesitating. Wordlessly he left the group of monsters and slipped the precious crystal into his pocket. 

For now he’d keep the dangerous treasure. 

__

The reunion of friends was overshadowed by the knowledge of a new, powerful enemy unleashed on earth. 

That, and Chase realized that he was in a bit of trouble. He had come back to the United States without his passport or a work visa. 

“Perhaps you should think about getting a duel citizenship?” Kendall suggested as they sat at the bar in the café. The others were working around them as Chase looked through a large stack of legal papers. 

“Wouldn’t that take a lot of time?” Chase sighed. This was all more complicated than it had been the first time. Of course Kendall had pretty much taken care of everything the first time around. 

“It’s better than being deported.” Riley commented as he walked by with a bucket of dirty dishes. 

“True.” Chase repeated his sigh and looked at Kendall. “My mom is overnighting my passport – it’s going to cost a ridiculous amount of money, but at least I’ll have it. You’re going to help me with all this, right?” 

“Of course.” Kendall offered a small smile and helped him gather up the paperwork. “We can do this later.” She promised. 

Chase nodded and stood with a stretch. He needed sunlight and fresh air. He hadn’t left the museum since he ended up back in America. His step mother had been shocked to hear that he was back in the States. She hadn’t been thrilled that he hadn’t told her he was leaving. Yes, he was an adult, but he owed her a lot and he couldn’t help but feel guilty, even if it wasn’t his fault. She didn’t know that. 

“Is your mother still mad?” Tyler asked as he leaned over the counter. 

“She isn’t happy.” Chase admitted. “My sister was worse, though. She doesn’t understand why I have to be here again.” 

“It’ll be okay.” Kendall promised. “We just need to find the last two energems and everything will work out.” 

Chase nodded. 

“Order for table six.” Heckyl said, joining the group. “Why are we looking so sad?” Heckyl asked Chase curiously. 

Chase looked at Heckyl and felt a stir of something, but it was lost in a fog before Chase could identify the emotion. “Um, it’s nothing. Kendall, I’ll be back later for my shift.” He promised and left without a glance back. 

There was something about Kendall’s newest hire that made Chase feel uneasy. He didn’t understand it. Heckyl was friendly, in a strange and invasive kind of way. He was always there, poking his way into conversations. It was annoying and odd and very uncomfortable. 

“Hey, Chase, wait up!” Riley called after him and jogged to catch up to the black ranger. “Do you want some company?” The green ranger asked. 

Honestly? Chase wanted some alone time, but he smiled and nodded, motioning Riley to lead the way out of the museum. 

“So, what’s the deal with you and Heckyl?” Riley asked when they hit the sidewalk outside. 

Chase raised an eyebrow, “huh?” 

“You seem to, well, not like him much.” Riley said.

“I don’t dislike him,” Chase tried to brush off his friend’s concern, but he shook his head. “I guess he rubs me the wrong way. I don’t know.” 

“He’s a good guy.” Riley told Chase. “Don’t judge him by the way he dresses.” 

That was a slap in the face. “Huh? I don’t care about how he’s dressed.” Was that what Riley thought? His heart hurt a bit at the thought. “He’s cool, I dig his goggles. I just don’t like him.” He shrugged feeling emotionally drained. “Do you really think I’m that shallow?” 

It was Riley’s turn to look shocked. “No, I just, I just wanted to make sure.” 

“Yeah.” Chase shook his head and looked away. “I think I don’t really want company right now after all.” 

“Chase.” Riley winced, trying to figure out a way to fix it. 

“We’re fine, Ry.” Chase reassured, although he wasn’t sure how convinced the statement left Riley. “I just need some space.”


	2. I'm not going to waste any of my time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Me again. 
> 
> New Chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Chase felt at home on his skateboard – too bad it was left behind in New Zealand when he had been rudely turned into an ice cube by Iceage. He walked to the park and looked on enviously at a couple kids as they practiced on their own skateboards. 

“Fancy meeting you here.” 

Slumping his shoulders, Chase glanced back at Heckyl who smirked while he leaned against a tree. 

“Fancy.” Chase agreed with less enthusiasm. “What’s up?” 

“Out for a stroll.” Heckyl said vaguely and moved to stand beside Chase. “I’m still getting to know the area.” 

“Ah,” Chase forced a smile. “I forgot, you just moved here.” 

“Yes.” Heckyl said and stepped a little closer. “So, would you do me the honor of showing me around?” 

That was a question Chase hadn’t been expecting. “Um, me? Are you sure? I’m sure Riley or Tyler…” 

“I want to get to know you.” Heckyl interrupted with a smile that did nothing to ease Chase’s growing nerves. “I think we could become good friends.” 

“You do?” Chase asked, surprised. Nothing in their previous or current interactions hinted at the possibility of them becoming friends, let alone ‘good’ friends. At least not on Chase’s end. 

“Of course.” Heckyl smirked in a way that seemed to hide some great secret of the universe. “Let’s start off with some coffee.” 

“Oh, uh, okay?” Chase frowned, but gave in. He thought back to what Riley had thought he thought about Heckyl. It wasn’t true. Chase wasn’t sure what about Heckyl put him on edge. There was something about the stranger…

None of his friends got the same vibe, though. Perhaps it was time to shove those feelings of uncertainty down and embrace a new friendship. Heckyl seemed willing to give it a try, it was only right that Chase gave him a chance. 

If only to prove to Riley that he wasn’t a superficial asshole. 

__

At the coffee shop Heckyl ordered a cinnamon latte – Chloe’s favorite drink of choice. Chase preferred his coffee black, but enjoyed the smell of cinnamon and allowed himself a moment of homesickness to wash over him. 

“Is something wrong?” Heckyl asked, surprising Chase a bit. 

“Uh, no. I’m fine.” He brushed off the stranger’s concern and took a sip of his large unsweetened iced coffee. It was mildly ironic that Chase liked his coffee to be the same shade of darkness as his energem. 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Heckyl shrugged, “but I’d like it if you didn’t lie.” 

“I – ” Chase frowned, but couldn’t deny that he had lied. People usually didn’t call him out when he avoided things. “I didn’t mean to lie, just, some things are hard to explain.” 

Heckyl nodded and took a long sip of his cinnamon latte. A little bit of whip cream was left on his upper lip as he glanced at Chase again. “I respect that.” He said, his tongue darted out and took care of the wayward cream with expert ease. “Still, if you need to talk, I’m a good listener.” 

Sure, Chase thought darkly, but forced a smile. “Thanks. So, what are you interested in seeing?” 

“Maybe the beach?” Heckyl suggested casually. “I hear there are some nice ones here.” 

“There are a few hidden gems.” Chase nodded and started off down the sidewalk. Heckyl stayed at his side, seemingly content to walk in silence. Chase wasn’t good with silence, especially when he was uncomfortable. “So, uh, where are you from? What’s it like?” 

Heckyl stumbled a little, maybe surprised that Chase had talked to him willingly. Either way, he recovered quickly and flashed a brilliant smile. “It is very different from here. There are so many trees here – where I lived was a vast desert. It had its charms, but nothing like this little haven.” 

“Why did you leave?” Chase asked, a bit curious. 

“I suppose you could say I was searching for something.” Heckyl said and Chase noticed a little smile that seemed to hide a more exaggerated story. “What about you? You are from New Zealand, aren’t you?” 

Chase pressed his lips together and considered his answer. “A job opportunity was given to me.” He shrugged. “I thought it was a good time for a change.” 

“But you miss it.” Heckyl hummed knowingly. “I can see it in your eyes. I understand. I miss my home too. Sometimes change is necessary as well as unavoidable.” 

They were quiet again, but the silence wasn’t as strained for Chase. He almost found comfort in it as they made their way off the beaten path and down a trail that Chase was very familiar with. The foliage had grown over the path, making it a little tricky to navigate, but Heckyl didn’t complain. 

The sun was low in the sky when they broke out onto the little cove. The U shaped beach was lined with clumps of large dark rocks contrasting beautifully with the white sand. 

Heckyl stood at the tree line and soaked in the sight with wide eyes. “You were right. This is truly a gem.” 

Chase smirked at the praise. It made him feel warm. Any praise did. He understood that there was a part of him that desperately needed to be liked. He wanted to be useful and prove to his father that he wasn’t a waste of space. Whenever he got a hint of a ‘good job’ his skin prickled and his heart skipped a beat. 

“Uh, glad you approve.” Chase tried to remind himself that he didn’t trust Heckyl, but it was becoming harder. Heckyl generally seemed like a nice guy who only wanted to be friends. Chase would be kind of a jerk to resist such an innocent request. His father had treated him like crap all his life, Chase worried briefly that he was behaving like the older man. No. He needed to be kinder. Understanding. He needed to be Heckyl’s friend. 

Or at least try.

“Why so serious?” Heckyl asked. Chase shook his head a little, clearing away his thoughts and offering Heckyl a sheepish smile. Apparently he was more transparent then he thought. 

“I guess I misread you.” Chase sighed. “I’m sorry.” 

Heckyl smiled knowingly. “I’ll admit that I can come off a little, strange.” He agreed lightly. 

“It wasn’t that,” Chase tried to explain. “There was a feeling, I guess it’s because things changed so quickly and I came back here. I’m sorry, that doesn’t make much sense. I was wrong, though. I hope you can forgive me.” Chase offered his hand in friendship. 

Heckyl smiled. “No harm done.” He said and shook Chase’s hand with his own. 

The sun dropped into the ocean as the boys watched, sipping their drinks. 

“I guess we should head back.” Chase said eventually. 

“The stars aren’t out yet.” Heckyl said lightly. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait and see them?” 

“We can wait, if you want.” Chase settled back into the sand and looked out over the water. It was beautiful and he was keen on staying out in the fresh air a bit longer. 

“The moon is mysterious, isn’t it?” Heckyl commented after a few minutes. “So powerful and yet so far away.” 

“I guess.” Chase shrugged. He wasn’t much of a scientist. He didn’t really think of things like that. “I think it’s pretty though. Brightens up the darkness, that’s for sure.” He smiled. 

“Ever the optimist.” Heckyl chuckled. 

“Huh?” Chase frowned in the moonlight at the man next to him. 

“Never mind.” Heckyl smirked back. 

“O-kay.” Chase turned his attention back up to the sky and watched the stars glitter. 

__

Chase wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow he and Heckyl ended up lip locked and stumbling backwards into Chase’s bedroom. The back of Chase’s legs hit the edge of his mattress and sent him sprawled backwards across the neatly made bed. Heckyl tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, taking in the sight before him with calculated eyes. 

Heckyl smiled. 

It wasn’t a predatory smile, but Chase had to wonder what that particular smile was hiding. As soon as the thought entered his mind Chase shoved it away. He was a little to deep in this particular situation to worry about something as trivial as trust.

“You are something.” Heckyl said finally and slowly crawled up onto the bed with Chase, straddling his legs seductively. They kissed again, less frantic this time. Their lips clashed together in a strange, squishy dance. 

“Back at you.” Chase grinned mischievously up at Heckyl. 

They resumed their heated make-out session only for Heckyl to pull back a moment later with a loud hiss. 

“What’s wrong?” Chase asked as Heckyl practically jumped off of him and grabbed at the side of his neck. 

“Uh,” Heckyl’s blue eyes looked alarmed and his hand never left his neck. “I must have pulled something in my neck – I should go.” 

“Oh,” Chase said, genuinely disappointed as he sat up on his elbows and watched Heckyl flee the room. Without a thought Chase followed him out of the room. “You know, you could stay, I have what some have called, ‘magic’ hands.” He offered suggestively, wiggling his fingers in the air like a terrible magician. 

Heckyl tossed him a look that was impatient and grunted. “No. Thank you.” 

The sharpness of the tone threw Chase a bit. He had thought they were having a good time – maybe he really did suck at reading people. Maybe Heckyl had been playing him all along. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Heckyl gave a flicker of a smile before bolting out of the apartment. Chase went to the door once it slammed shut and stared at it with wide eyes. 

“What the hell just happened?” Chase muttered and bitterly locked the door. He was confused and a little hurt by Heckyl’s abrupt exit. 

“What did you expect?” Chase asked himself as he stormed into his bathroom and glanced in the mirror accusingly. “You’ve been a total jerk to him, of course he’s going…to do whatever the hell he just did. It’s fair.” 

With another shake of his head Chase turned around and turned on the water in his shower. It took a bit for the water to warm up and even after he had scrubbed his skin clean Chase felt dirty and used.


	3. I'm not going to go standing in a line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for BIG misunderstandings. 
> 
> And angst...

Heckyl managed to get under the cover of darkness before he slipped away. 

Snide emerged and roared. Distantly he felt Heckyl’s fear and wondered what his other half had been hiding from him. It wasn’t easy to block one another completely, yet Heckyl had been managing to do so with relative ease. 

It was aggravating. 

“What are you up to, Heckyl?” Snide demanded as he flipped open the little mirror on his sword. Heckyl glared back at him but turned away, not answering. “Fine. Be silent. I’ll figure it out eventually.” The metal beast promised and glanced around the darkness. He was unfamiliar with the area and wondered what Heckyl could have possibly been interested in. 

__

The days that followed were a bit awkward, at least for Chase. Heckyl didn’t mention their little hook up and Chase made a point to follow his lead on the matter. Message received, Chase was an asshole and Heckyl hadn’t forgiven him for the cold treatment. 

“You seem moody.” Shelby commented as she stepped into the kitchen of the café. She watched disinterested as Chase flipped a few of the burger patties. 

“You seem nosey.” Chase fired back easily, following up the comment with a shit-eating grin. 

Shelby huffed, but didn’t back down. They were both pretty thick-skinned in the banter department. “Are you coming to get ice cream with us after work? My dad is making a special ice cream cake for Riley.” 

Flipping another burger with practiced ease, Chase bobbed his head. “Yep. Its too bad Snide tried to poison Amber beach’s water with memory-loss juice, I bet Riley would’ve done well in that race. You know, if that hadn’t happened.” 

“Being power rangers definitely makes life interesting.” Shelby agreed. “At least he and that jerk he went to school with found some common ground.” 

“True.” Chase nodded and served up the patties on the waiting buns. “Order up.” He winked. 

Heckyl wandered into the kitchen, took one look at Chase and turned heel and left the area. 

“What’s with him?” Shelby frowned as she watched Heckyl vanish. 

“Um,” Chase winced. “I guess I screwed up and he kind of hates me now.” He shrugged. “I tried to talk to him about it yesterday and it didn’t go over well. I don’t know.” He shrugged. 

“Well,” Shelby shrugged. “You aren’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea.” She teased. 

“Don’t I know it?” Chase grinned like everything was fine, but the truth of the words did more damage than he wanted to show. She bought his smile and tossed one of her own with a little wave before she left to go deliver the food to the waiting customers. 

The truth was Chase had tried to talk to Heckyl and Heckyl had blown him off rather coldly. It had been weird. The blue-haired man had grabbed his neck as he walked away and growled something about ‘that bastard’ and ‘bad timing’ and left Chase feeling shitty. 

Obviously ‘that bastard’ was in reference to Chase. 

Maybe his father had been right. Maybe he was a worthless pain in the neck. 

“Ice cream?” Koda appeared and asked hopefully as he stood next to Chase. 

Chase glanced at the clock. It was time for them to head for the shop, but his replacement hadn’t arrived yet. “You go on ahead, Koda. Looks like Liam is running late again.” 

“You would know all about running late,” Tyler joked from the doorway. “We’ll try and make sure Koda saves some of the sugary goodness until you can come. Can’t promise anything, though.” The red ranger grinned and motioned for Koda to follow. The caveman flashed a warm smile at Chase before following his team leader out of the kitchen. 

Chase watched them go with a bit of a wistful feeling. As much as he felt like an outcast with most people, he did feel a bond with his fellow rangers. They were like some strange dysfunctional family. Tyler, Koda and Shelby in particular felt like long lost siblings. Riley, Ivan and Philip were more like cousins and Kendall was the cool young aunt he never had. 

“Oh.” Heckyl said, surprising them both. He had walked into the room and stopped abruptly. 

Both men stared at one another for a very long, awkward pause. 

“I thought you would have gone with the rest of them.” Heckyl commented in a tight voice. 

“Liam isn’t here yet.” Chase said with a casual shrug. 

“Here are the orders from table two.” Heckyl huffed and set the strip of paper next to the grill. 

For a moment Chase considered ignoring Heckyl, but when the blue-haired man didn’t immediately flee the room, he took it as a sign to try again. “So, about what happened.”

“We really don’t have to talk about it.” Heckyl sighed dramatically. “Clearly it was a foolish move and I regret it tremendously. Obviously certain people in my life were correct in assuming that I don’t always think before I act.” 

Chase’s heart sunk as Heckyl spoke, but in the end he felt a slap of confusion. “Wait, what?” He asked, looking at Heckyl in the eyes for the first time since their hot and heavy make out session. 

“Ivan told me – you like women.” Heckyl said, suddenly not as confident. 

“Huh?” Chase frowned. “You think I’m mad at you?” 

Heckyl blinked. “Well, yes. He said you hunt girls as if it were some sort of sport. I assumed that meant men were off the table. Given that I’m a man…”

“No,” Chase shook his head and winced when he realized the burgers he had been working on were now mostly charcoal. “Damn it.” He muttered, turned off the grill and pitched the ruined patties in the trash. “I – I’m not into labels.” He tried to explain poorly. “What I mean is, I like everyone.” 

Heckyl frowned as he considered Chase’s words. 

“It’s just, most of the guys I tried to date ended up being super controlling and, well, let’s just say I have some daddy issues.” Chase smacked his forehead with his palm and silently wished he hadn’t opened his mouth. “Look, I like you. I liked kissing you. I’d do it again if you were into it too, but we don’t have to. We can go back to – or, well, we can just be friends. I’m good either way. Flexibility is my middle name, after all.” 

A slow smile slowly broke out of Heckyl’s frown and the blue-haired man took a bold step towards Chase and closed the distance between them by leaning in and capturing his lips with his own. It was a short kiss. Short, but meaningful. Heckyl pulled back and blue eyes met dark brown. “I’d like to do this again any time I can.” 

Warmth filled Chase’s soul and he smiled brightly at Heckyl. “Something tells me I’m not going to get ice cream with the others.” He said softly. 

With a wicked grin Heckyl pushed Chase back against the fridge. 

“Ahem.” 

The two boys broke apart and Chase blushed a little as he looked at Liam. 

“That’s a little unprofessional, don’t you think?” Liam chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the boss lady, but you two probably should move it along.” He winked. 

Heckyl grinned and took Chase’s hand, leading him out of the museum and back in the direction of Chase’s apartment building. 

__

The next two days were hectic. It started with Shelby trying to kill everyone after falling asleep and was followed by a ‘no sleep’ order from Kendall. 

Given that Chase hadn’t exactly gotten a lot of sleep the night before, it was rough to say the least. Chase was grateful for his friend’s support system or he was certain he would have given in to the need for rest. 

Ivan went missing sometime before Chase was pulled into the janitor’s closet by Heckyl. The distraction was broken when Kendall found them. 

“Chase,” Kendall raised an eyebrow. 

“Uh, sorry,” Chase glanced from Kendall to Heckyl who was smiling innocently. 

“Sorry to interrupt, whatever this is, but Ivan is missing.” Kendall told them. “I need you both to look for him.” She added, leveling a very serious look to Chase to silently convey why it was so important. 

Sobering up, Chase nodded sharply. “Of course, leave it to me – uh, us.” 

Heckyl raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question the silent conversation that was happening in front of him. 

“Let’s split up, we’ll cover more ground.” Chase suggested when Kendall left. Heckyl nodded and watched Chase as he left the room to search for their missing coworker. 

The day only got worse from there. Vivix attacked, Ivan fell asleep, Shelby had a big test and Chase was exhausted. 

It wasn’t until later that Chase saw Heckyl again. They were cleaning up the café after closing and Chase flashed the man a smile as he turned to continue to stack the stools on top of the table so he could mop the floor. 

Something soft pressed against the side of his face and Chase flinched, at first, but the draw of sleep was too strong and he was pulled under without a second thought. 

The next thing he knew he was waking up to a nightmare. Shelby accused Heckyl of working for Snide as Chase shook the sleep from his muddled brain. He tried to absorb the information she was giving as Heckyl looked back at him over his shoulder. Their eyes met and Chase tried to read his friend’s expression. 

His lover’s expression. 

Heckyl smiled, but the smile was all wrong – crooked and untrue. 

Shelby moved to stand before her dazed friends as Heckyl started flinching in a way that Chase recognized immediately. Their eyes met as Kendall asked him if he was truly working for Snide. 

Then there was a flash of light and Snide stood in Heckyl’s place. 

A cold shiver ran down Chase’s spine as he stared at the metal monster. He barely heard the threats spoken before there were several flashes of light and Snide vanished into smoke. 

Chase and Ivan dashed forward, but Snide was gone and Kendall was announcing that Riley was in trouble. 

“Let’s go.” Chase insisted, suddenly sickened by guilt. If anything were to happen to Riley he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. It was probably idiotic to think that everything that was happening was his fault, but it felt like it was. 

Heckyl had played him in the worst way possible. 

Unwilling to shatter until all of his friends were okay, Chase went with his teammates. 

Thanks to Kendall’s device they tracked Riley down easily enough, but too late. They’d never reach him in time. 

“Chase, you’ve got to take out that pillow.” Tyler whispered and Chase nodded, knowing that it was up to him. He had one shot. 

“You’ve got this.” Shelby said and squeezed his shoulder gently as he steadied himself on a stack of discarded tires and took careful aim. 

One shot was all he needed, but he fired a few more around them to push the monsters further from Riley. The pillow was destroyed with the first shot and Riley was set free of his trance. 

The rest of the fight was an automatic blur. They won the battle, but deep down Chase didn’t feel at all like a winner.


	4. I'm not a fool just waiting for another chance to make you mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I've been having a crazy time. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Lyrics:
> 
> I'm not gonna go chasing you around.  
> I'm not gonna waste any of my time.  
> I'm not gonna go standing in a line.  
> I'm not a fool just waiting for another chance to make you mine.

Chase was mopping the floor when Kendall joined him in the empty café later that night. 

“You didn’t need to do this.” She said kindly. “I’m sure you are as exhausted as everyone else – they’re all home asleep.” 

“You aren’t.” Chase pointed out quietly, not stopping his task. He didn’t even bother looking up at her as he spoke. 

“Chase.” Kendall appeared at his side, her hand was placed on his, gently taking the mop from him and motioning him to sit down on two stools she must have set up. After a moment’s hesitation, Chase sunk down onto one of the stools and mentally tried to prepare himself for the conversation that was about to happen. 

“How far did – did you two get? In your, um, relationship?” Kendall asked slowly. 

That was the thing about Kendall, she didn’t beat around the bush. Normally Chase was totally okay with that. 

Tonight it was different. 

“Far enough.” Chase said after a heavy pause. He didn’t exactly want to go into detail with his boss about his sex life. Even if the boss in question was also a close friend. 

Sex was already awkward enough. Especially when the sex turned out to have happened with the enemy. 

Chase felt sick. 

He must have looked sick too because Kendall provided him with a small metal trashcan when he felt the meager amount of food he had eaten earlier start to make a reappearance. 

He heaved into the trashcan and shook a bit from crashing exhaustion as Kendall rubbed his back with a soft touch. 

“Oh, Chase.” She whispered, her hand rubbed the back of his neck gently as he let out a pathetic sob of a sound. 

“I – I guess you were right.” Chase said, shooting to his feet, still clutching the small can. “I’ll finish this up in the morning.” He glanced around at the mostly cleaned space. 

“Wait,” Kendall stood too, but her movements were slower and her hands were raised in a non-threatening gesture. As if he was a wild animal she was trying not to frighten. 

“Promise me you won’t tell the others?” Chase said desperately. He took two steps away from her, but managed to maintain eye contact as he moved. “Please?” 

“They’d understand,” Kendall offered. “He played everyone, Chase, but he hurt you in a way no one should ever be hurt. They would only want to help – ”

“I can’t deal with all that,” Chase looked away from her and downwards towards the floor. “I just want to forget this ever happened and move on. I can’t deal with the pitying glances and worried whispers. I can’t – Kendall, please, promise me?” 

“Okay.” Kendall closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “I’ll make you that promise, if you can promise me that you’ll talk to me when you need to. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone. What happened, I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling.” 

“I – ” Chase started to protest. He wanted to say he was fine, but the hell he was. He was so far from fine the word wasn’t even in his vocabulary any more. Although he couldn’t look at her, he nodded. “I promise.” 

“Then so do I.” Kendall said quietly. 

“Goodnight, Kendall.” Chase managed before he rushed out of the room, bucket of puke still in his hands. The forgotten object proved to be useful when Chase got outside and felt sick again. 

Heckyl had played them all, but he had physically used Chase. 

It was going to take something special to fix what the alien had ruthlessly broken. 

__

That had not been the plan.

Heckyl paced in his room on the ship as he thought back to Chase’s look of utter betrayal. 

The plan had been to collect the energems and hide them from Snide, but that was over. Not only was it over, but he had destroyed the black ranger’s heart in the process. 

“You dumbass.” He shook his head. He couldn’t leave the human well enough alone. He had to meddle. 

At first he had been content just being in the same space as Chase again, but then he realized that Chase didn’t like him. That had been unacceptable. The Chase Heckyl had met trapped in a cell together had been warm and friendly. This Chase was cold and distant. 

It didn’t take long for Heckyl to figure out why Chase suddenly felt distrustful of him. Some part of Chase’s soul remembered that Heckyl stole his memories. It wasn’t enough to ruin Heckyl’s main plan, but it was enough to worry Heckyl. Or at least that was what Heckyl had convinced himself.

So there had been a new plan. Win Chase over to sooth any possible distrust left behind from the memory stone incident. 

The plan had worked a little too well. 

Heckyl didn’t want to regret the delicate moments they had shared together. It had been a short romance, but a heated one. 

There was something to be said about too much heat. 

He did regret how it ended. Chase would never forgive him and whatever might have been had been obliterated. 

With a sad snort Heckyl closed his eyes and did his best to accept that Chase would never be his. 

Now plan A was all that mattered.

Heckyl needed to set aside all silly dreams. Chase might not like him in any way ever again, but that wouldn’t stop Heckyl from saving Earth from Snide’s destruction.


End file.
